Superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma with melanocytosis that was endoscopically difficult to differentiate from malignant melanoma.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) with dark spots caused by melanocytosis is very rare. A reddish and flat lesion, 4 cm in length and covering over two-thirds of the circumference, was found in the midthoracic esophagus of a 66-year-old male. Multiple brown and black spots are observed in the lesion.

Clinical Benefit of Polypectomy With Cutting Current for Colorectal Polyps: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background/aim: This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of polypectomy with cutting current (PCC) for colorectal polyps, compared with cold snare polypectomy (CSP).

Patients And Methods: The study design was a singlecenter randomized controlled trial. We included patients with one or more non-pedunculated colorectal polyps of 6 mm or more and less than 10 mm.

Clinical benefit of the multibending endoscope for gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is a technically difficult and time-consuming procedure. We aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of ESD using a multibending endoscope to treat superficial gastrointestinal neoplasms.

Methods: Patients with a single early gastric cancer who met the absolute or expanded indications for ESD according to the Japanese gastric cancer treatment guidelines were enrolled and randomly assigned to undergo ESD using a conventional endoscope (C-ESD) or a multibending endoscope (M-ESD).

A case of complete remission of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with type III portal vein tumor thrombosis treated using transarterial chemoembolization with microspheres and radiation therapy.

Portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) is an extremely locally advanced form of hepatocellular carcinoma. The natural median survival time of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma with PVTT is 2.7 to 4.

Characteristic Radiological Features of Retrospectively Diagnosed Pancreatic Cancers.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the characteristic radiological features of early-stage pancreatic cancer (PC).

Methods: Between 2009 and 2016, 510 PC patients were selected from our hospital cancer registry database based on International Classification of Diseases for Oncology-3 (C25). Among them, 64 patients (42 males and 22 females; median age, 74 [range, 59-91]) had received repeated abdominal radiological examinations before their diagnosis of PC and were retrospectively investigated for specific radiological findings.

Usefulness of a multibending endoscope in gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection.

Background And Aims: Intraoperative perforation is a major adverse event of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). To avoid perforation, it is important for the endoscope to approach the portion to be resected carefully and to ensure that the knife can approach the submucosa at an angle parallel to the muscle layer. The multibending endoscope has 2 bends at its tip and may facilitate the ESD procedure.

An elderly man with progressive focal nodular hyperplasia.

Patients with focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) develop benign hepatocellular nodules. FNH most frequently occurs in young women. There are no reports of the onset of FNH in elderly men.

Efficacy of long-term rifaximin treatment for hepatic encephalopathy in the Japanese.

Background: Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a complication of liver cirrhosis and can result in neuropsychological and neuromuscular dysfunctions in patients. Rifaximin, an antibiotic, has been reported to decrease the occurrence of overt HE and also improve cognitive function in studies from Europe and the United States of America. There is not enough evidence of the relationship between the long-term use of rifaximin and its clinical effects in the Japanese.

Efficacy of Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection of Esophageal Neoplasms under General Anesthesia.

Background/aims: Evidence that general anesthesia (GA) reduces the operative time of esophageal endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is currently insufficient. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of esophageal ESD under GA.

Methods: A total of 227 lesions from 198 consecutive patients with superficial esophageal neoplasms treated by ESD at 3 Japanese institutions between April 2011 and September 2017 were included in this retrospective study.

A Potassium-Competitive Acid Blocker-Based Regimen as Second-Line Therapy Improves Helicobacter pylori Eradication.

Background/aims: Although a potassium-competitive acid blocker (PCAB)-based regimen improves the rate of successful Helicobacter pylori first-line eradication, the efficacy of a PCAB-based regimen as second-line therapy is unclear. The aim of this study is to compare the success of second-line eradication of H. pylori using PCAB and proton pump inhibitor (PPI)-based regimens.

Extended cold snare polypectomy for small colorectal polyps increases the R0 resection rate.

Background And Study Aims:  Despite widespread use of cold snare polypectomy (CSP), the R0 resection rate is not well documented. We perform extended CSP, resecting polyps with a > 1 mm circumferential margin. The aim of this study is to compare the R0 resection rate of extended CSP with conventional CSP and to assess safety.